Grilled Fish Recipe

4.25 from 12 votes

Discover the best grilled fish ever! This Malaysian ikan bakar, or grilled fish wrapped in banana leaves, is moist, aromatic, and tantalizingly delicious. This ultimate grilled fish recipe promises an explosion of flavor that you just can't stop eating.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Fish

Cuisine: Malaysian Recipes

Keyword: Grilled Fish, Grilled Fish with Banana Leaf

Servings: people

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

Grilled Fish Sambal:

6 oz (175g) fresh red chilies seeded and cut into small pieces
4 oz (125g) shallots
2 lemongrass cut into thin slices, use white part only
1 tablespoon toasted belacan Malaysian shrimp paste
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 lime extract juice
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 teaspoons sugar or to taste

Grilled Fish:

1 lb (500g) red or white snapper cleaned and scales removed
3-4 sheets banana leaf
4 tablespoons oil

Grilled Fish Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup water plus tamarind pulp size of a small ping pong ball
3 fresh red chilies seeded
2 bird’s eye chilies seeded, optional
1 teaspoon toasted belacan
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste
2 shallots thinly sliced

Instructions

To cook grilled fish, grease a pan and line it with a few sheets of banana leaves. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over the leaves, spreading it evenly. Place the fish on top of the banana leaves.
Add 3 tablespoons of sambal on top of the fish. Heat the pan over medium heat on your stovetop and cover it with a lid. Cook the grilled fish for about 8 minutes, then flip it over. Add 3 more tablespoons of sambal to the other side and cook for another 8 minutes.
The grilled fish is done when you smell the sweet aroma of burnt banana leaves. Dish out and serve immediately with the Grilled Fish Dipping Sauce.

Grilled Fish Sambal

Prepare the sambal by grinding the chilies, shallots, belacan, and lemongrass in a food processor. Blend until the sambal paste is smooth and well combined.
Heat a wok and stir-fry the sambal paste until aromatic or until the oil separates from the paste. Add the seasonings—salt, sugar, and fish sauce—and give it a quick stir. Dish out and set aside.

Grilled Fish Dipping Sauce (Optional)

Add water to the tamarind pulp and mix well. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then extract the tamarind juice and discard the pulp. In a mortar and pestle or food processor, pound or blend the red chilies, bird’s eye chilies, and toasted belacan. Combine the tamarind juice, sugar, salt, and sliced shallots with the sambal. Stir well and set aside.

Notes

You can grill fish on an outdoor grill or use the stovetop for cooking.
If you cannot find fresh or frozen banana leaves in your supermarket or food stores, you may grill fish using aluminum foil.
Grilled fish dipping sauce is optional. The fish is delicious as is.
How to clean banana leaves? Clean the banana leaves by rinsing with cold water, and then pat dry with paper towels.
There are two types of snapper—red and white. Both are excellent choices for grilling, with the difference lying in their color and appearance. For my recipe, I opted for white snapper.
Banana leaves: They are used to wrap the fish and to serve the final finished dish.

Nutrition